MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The information circulated by media outlets about “hundreds” of Russian citizens killed in the US-led coalition’s strike in Syria is a classic example of disinformation, a source from the Russian Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.

“The information disseminated by Bloomberg and other [media outlets] about dozens and hundreds of [Russian nationals] killed in Syria is a classic disinformation,” the source told reporters.

Last week, US Central Command announced that the coalition conducted what it described as “defensive airstrikes” against pro-government forces near the Euphrates River as a response to an alleged attack against the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) headquarters. The airstrikes have reportedly resulted in the death of at least 100 pro-government troops.

Damascus has slammed the attack as “a new act of aggression that constitutes a war crime and a crime against humanity,” while the Russian Defense Ministry said that the attack showcased that the real goal behind Washington’s “illegal military presence in Syria” was control over the country’s economic assets rather than defeating Daesh.

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At the same time, media reports emerged the day before, alleging that a large number of Russian mercenaries had been killed in airstrikes. So far, the death of one Russian citizen Kiril Ananyev from an activist group “Another Russia” has been reported by the organization’s coordinator.